Italy Travel And Hotel Guide

There’s no escaping the beauty of PORTOFINO , tucked into a fortified inlet surrounded by lush cypress- and olive-clad slopes, yet it manages to be both captivating and off-putting at the same time. This picture-pretty village has been effortlessly drawing in Europe’s jetset royals, film stars and other glitterati since the dolce vita days of Bogart and Bacall, Sophia Loren, Burton and Taylor, and Princess Grace, all of whom holidayed here - its snob rating remains impeccable. The village lies at the end of a narrow and treacherously winding road 5km south from Santa Margherita, but thanks to continuous traffic the bus journey can take longer than the boats that shuttle regularly to and from all nearby ports. Once you’ve arrived and surveyed the expensive restaurants and alter shops by the water, there’s not much to do other than watch everyone else do the same; bear in mind, though, that a couple of peaceful harbourside beers will leave you little change from L40,000/20.66. To get a sense of Portofino’s idyllic setting follow the footpath which heads south from the harbour up onto the headland. Five minutes from the village is the church of San Giorgio , said to contain relics of St George. A further ten minutes up is the Castello Brown (Tues-Sun 10am-6pm; L4000/2.06); there’s not much to see, but you can look down on pint-sized Portofino from the terrace. The scenic path continues south for a quarter-hour down to the Faro (lighthouse) on the very tip of the promontory. The only way back is up the same path. Northwest from the village, steeply stepped paths head through vineyards and orchards to Olmi and on to San Fruttuoso . The best sandy beach is the sparkling cove at Paraggi , 3km north of Portofino on the corniche road (buses will stop on request) - not exactly remote, but less formal than Portofino, with a couple of bars set back from the water.

The tourist office is at Via Roma 35 (daily 9.30am-1.30pm & 2-6.30pm; tel 0185.269.024, www.apttigullio.liguria.it ). Accommodation is absurdly expensive year-round. The Eden stands within its own delightful gardens in the centre (tel 0185.269.091, fax 0185.269.047; L250,000-300,000/129.11-154.94), but if money is no object, you’ll want to shell out with style at the Splendido , Viale Baratta 16 (tel 0185.267.801, fax 0185.267.806, www.orient-expresshotels.com ; over L400,000/206.58) - prices are astronomical but this is held to be one of Italy’s best hotels. Eating out , whether at the hotels or, for example, at the super-chic seafood restaurant Il Pitosforo on the harbour (tel 0185.269.020, closed Mon & Tues), which in summer opens only in the evening, is best left to those who don’t read their credit card statements.